Tablet or the like.



E. McC. AFRICA & B. E. IVIcSHEEHY.

TABLET OR THE LIKE.

APPLICATION FILED APR.8. I908.

Patented May 11, 1915.

2 SHEETSSHEET I.

INVENTORS: Mid/4m JQMW 6- L E l. A II +I+ WITNESSES:

THE. NORRIS PETERS ca, PHOTO-LITHO.. WASHINGTON, n r

E. McC. AFRICA & B. E. McSHEEHY.

} TABLET OR THE LIKE. APPLICATION HLEE) APR. 8. I908.

1 1 39% Patented May 11, 1915.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

FIG. 6.

INVENTORS:

WITNESSES:

THE NORRIS PETERS c0 PHOTO-LITHCL. WASHINGTON. D. c.

UNTTED SATES PENT @FFTQE.

ELMEE MGCLELLAN AFRICA, 0F HUNTING'DON, PENNSYLVANIA, AND BARTI-IOLOMEW E. MoSI-IEEHY, OF NUTLEY, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNORS T0 J. C. BLAIR COMPANY, OF HUNTINGDON, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

TABLET OR THE LIKE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 111, 1915.

Original application filed January 18, 1908, Serial No. 411,445. Divided and this application filed April 8,

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that we, ELMER MoCLnLLAN Arman, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Huntingdon, in the county of Huntingdon and State of Pennsylvania, and BARTHOLOMEW E. MGSHEEHY, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Nutley, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tablets or the like, of which the following is a specification.

This application is a division of our application N 0. 411,445, filed January 18, 1908.

The invention retates to writing tablets or pads and aims to provide certain improvements therein.

It has heretofore been proposed to supply with each tablet or pad a guide sheet having guide lines ruled transversely of the pad. Such guide sheet has been useful only in using the paper in its full length condition without folding. According to our present invention we provide guiding means which are adapted to be conveniently utilized in connection with the paper sheets either when the latter are used lengthwise in various sizes for commercial letter writing etc., or when they are folded for social letter writing in various sizes. To this end we provide a guide'sheet which is preferably ruled both longitudinally and transversely, and which is formed either separately from the tablet or attached thereto in a manner to be described. We also provide a second guide sheet adapted for use in connection with the first, and also preferably connected with the tablet. Such a second guide sheet is by preference only about one half the length of the tablet or one half the area thereof, and is provided with guide lines which extend lengthwise 0f the tablet (or in the direction of its greatest dimension), and preferably also transversely thereof.

By our invention in its preferred form we provide a tablet in which at least three sides of the folded writing sheet can be written upon with the assistance of the guide lines without detaching the sheet from its connection with the tablet. The guide sheets also are applicable to the fourth side when the sheet is detached.

Our invention also provides a construc- Serial No. 425,906.

tion of tablet in which both guide sheets are preferably hinged to the bottom or backboard of the tablet, and are adapted to fold either over the face of the tablet or away from the latter, or in a third position be tween the body of the sheets and the backboard. The guide sheets may be provided with any suitable designs, although ordinarily, at least for correspondence purposes, plain ruled lines will be employed.

Our invention also includes other features of novelty which will be hereinafter referred to.

Referring to the drawings illustrating an embodiment of the invention,Figure l is a perspective view of a tablet having our improved sheets connected therewith. Figs. 2, 3 and 4 are views illustrating the positions of the parts when writing upon the four sides of a folded writing sheet. Fig. 5 is a side elevation or edge view of the tablet. Fig. 6 is a view of our improved full length guide sheet detached.

Referring to the drawings let A designate the tablet as a whole which is composed of a number of sheets a connected along their upper edges at b. Preferably a back-board c is provided as is common, and a cover d which is connected to the tablet at what may be termed its upper edge, or that edge at which the sheets are attached. Preferably the dimensions of the tablet are such that when the sheets are folded along the dotted line 6 (Fig. 1) the lower edge will meet the top edge, so that the paper assumes the proper form for correspondence, etc.

B indicates a guide sheet which is of substantially the same dimensions as the writing sheets of the tablet, and preferably such sheet is hinged to the tablet, by preference to the back-board 0 and preferably at the bottom side, or that which is opposite to the binding edge, as indicated in Fig. 5. The hinged joint may be formed in any suitable way, preferably by a strip of paper or canvas f (Fig. 5) which is glued to the back-board c and to the under side of the guide sheet B. In this manner the lower edges of the writing sheets are left free. The hinge 7" is preferably stiff laterally so that the guide sheet 13 tends to fold over in a substantially fixed plane, whereby it retains its position more effectively and does not move from side to side. When the guide sheet B is in position beneath one of the writing sheets it is held with sufficient firmness to prevent its displacement. Preferably when the guide sheet B is used to provide writing lines it is ruled with lengthwise lines 9 and transverse lines h so that the writing sheet may be written upon either longitudinally of the tablet or transversely thereof as desired. Preferably, as before stated, we also employ a second guide sheet C which is by preference about onehalf the length of the tablet or one half its area and is preferably hinged to the latter along the upper half of one of the sides which are contiguous to the side at which the guide sheet B is hinged. Preferably the sheet C is hinged to the back-board at a side which is contiguous to the bottom side by means of a strip n which is glued to the upper face of the back-board and the under face of the strip.

When the guide sheet O is to be used for correspondence it is ordinarily sufficient that it be ruled with a single set of guide lines 9" extending longitudinally of the tablet, but if desired transverse guide lines such as it may be employed. It is desirable, however, that the lines appear on both sides of the sheet.

In the use of the tablet shown when the sheet is to be folded to correspondence size the upper writing sheet is raised sufficiently to enable the guide sheet B to be folded down beneath it, whereupon the lower end of the writing sheet is folded over the guide sheet C so that its upper and lower edges coincide. During this action the edge Z of the sheet C serves as a guide for folding the sheet.- This brings the first page of the sheet in position for use, as indicated in Fig. 2, the guide sheet C lying beneath such page and its lines being visible through the latter as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 2. After the first page is written upon the writing sheet is extended to its full length, bringing the second page into position over the lower part of the guide sheet B. The guide sheet C may be permitted to remain in its folded position, or, if the third page of the writing sheet is to be written upon also the sheet C will be folded outwardly as indicated in Fig. 3. When the fourth page 0f the sheet is also to be written upon the sheet C, with the writing sheet, may be.

turned outwardly, until it lies along the back-board of the tablet; when in this position the sheet may be Written upon without disturbing its relation with the paper. The tablet may be turned bodily around so that the writing on thelast page is not up- .side down as compared with those of the first pages- Preferably, however, after the third page is written upon the writing sheet is In the construction shown the guide sheet B and the half-length guide sheet C may both be folded between the bottom sheet of the tablet and its back-board so as to be out of the way when not desired for use.

According to our invention, we prefer to form the guide sheets B and O of blotting paper; By this means we are not only enabledto dispense with the use of a separate blotting sheet, but avoid any special manipulation of the paper or blotting means, the blotting operation being effected so to speak automatically. By referenceto Figs. lvto 5 it will'be seen that after the first page of the letter is written upon and it is unfolded in the position of Fig. 3, the sheet B serves to blot the page. After sheets 2 and 3 are written upon and the sheet C is folded over along the upper half of'the writing sheet, it serves to blot page 3 of such sheet. If page 2 is not already dry this is also blotted by the sheet C as it is turned over upon the upper side of such sheet, preparatory to folding the combined guide sheet and paper over upon the back of the tablet, or pre paratory to detaching the writing sheet from the tablet. When the tablet is used without folding the paper the underside of the-sheet B may be utilized for blotting purposes; it is especially adapted for this purpose, since its under side is preferably not lined. A separate blotting sheet 0 may, however, be provided as shown in Fig. 1 wherein it is attached to the underside of the cover. It will also be noted that either of the sheets B or C may be unlined and used only as a blotter. It will also be observed that any design may be placed upon the guide sheets for drawing or other purposes. Guide sheets of different sizes than those indicated may be used if desired.

By the present invention the use of correspondence paper in tablet form is very greatly facilitated. The sheets B and C, or

their equivalents, fold down accurately upon the writing sheets so that they are practiguide for the writer to provide a proper margin. It is, of course, within the invention to provide one or more separate lines wholly for marginal purposes, but we prefer to provide a complete set of lines, first, because it enables the sheet to be used for writing in either direction, and second, be cause it provides a succession of lines, any one of which may be used as the marginal guide, so that the width of margin may be varied from either side.

It will be understood that while the sheets B and C are preferably attached to the pad they may be detached therefrom, and still be very useful in connection with tablets or other Writing paper. In Fig. 6 We have illustrated the sheet B detached. Such a guide sheet can be furnished practically as cheaply as a sheet having lines extending in but one direction, since as the guide lines may be on one side of the sheet only a single printing operation will suilice for the production of such lines.

It is obvious that various modifications may be made in the construction herein shown without departing from the spirit of the invention. While in its preferred form the various features of the invention are combined as indicated, such features may be used separately if desired.

What we claim is 1. A tablet having a plurality of sheets of paper and having a guide sheet of substantially one-half the area of the tablet, said guide sheet being hinged to a side edge of the tablet, and a guide sheet of substantially the full area of the tablet, said guide sheets having guiding provisions adapted to be visible through one of said sheets of paper.

2. A tablet having a plurality of sheets of paper and having a guide sheet of substantially one-half the area of the tablet, and a guide sheet of substantially the full area of the tablet, said guide sheets being hinged to the tablet at contiguous sides thereof, and each having guiding provisions adapted to be visible through one of said sheets of paper.

3. A tablet having a sheet having guide lines, and being of substantially the full area of the tablet and connected to the side opposite the binding edge, and a sheet having guide lines and being of substantially half the area of the tablet and connected to a contiguous side.

fic- A tablet having a sheet having guide lines, and being of substantially the full area of the tablet and connectedto the side opposite the binding edge, and a sheet having guide lines and being of substantially half the area of the tablet and connected to a contiguous side, said guide lines extending longitudinally of the tablet.

5. A tablet having a sheet having guide lines, and being of substantially the full area of the tablet and connected to the side opposite the binding edge, and a sheet having guide lines and being of substantially half the area of the tablet and connected to a contiguous side, said guide lines extending transversely of the tablet.

6. An elongated tablet having a binding edge at one of its smaller sides, said tablet having a guide sheet having guide lines and being of substantially the full area of the tablet and connected to the side opposite the binding edge, and a sheet having guide lines and being of substantially half the area of the tablet and connected to a contiguous side, said guide lines extending longitudinally of the tablet.

7. An elongated tablet having a binding edge at one of its smaller sides, said tablet having a guide sheet having guide lines and being of substantially the full area of the tablet and connected to the side opposite the binding edge, and a sheet having guide lines and being of substantially half the area of the tablet and connected to a contiguous. side, said guide lines extending transversely of the tablet.

8. A tablet having a plurality of sheets of paper and having a guide sheet of substantially one-half the area of the tablet, and a guide sheet of substantially the full area of the tablet, said guide sheets being hinged to the tablet at contiguous sides thereof, and each having guiding provisions adapted to be visible through one of said sheets of paper, said guide sheets being formed of blotting paper.

In witness whereof, we have hereunto signed our names in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ELMER MCCLELLAN AFRICA. BARTHOLOMEW E. MoSl-IEEHY.

Witnesses as to Elmer McClellan Africa:

CHARLns G. Bnnws'rnn, EDWARD E. C. Gnnss. Witnesses as to Bartholomew E. Mc- Sheehy:

THEODORE T. SNELL, EUGENE V. MYERs.

(Topics of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Eatentr Washington, I). G. 

